Management of hair loss diseasesManabu Ohyama
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 139–145
The treatment of hair loss diseases is sometimes difficult because of insufficient efficacy
and limited options. However, recent advances in understanding of the pathophysiology
and development of new remedies have improved the treatment of refractory hair
loss conditions. In this article, an update on the management of hair loss diseases is
provided, especially focusing on recently reported therapeutic approaches for alopecia
areata (AA). An accurate diagnosis is indispensable to optimize ..................More

Original Study

Chemokine receptor CCR3 is important for migration of mast cells in neurofibromaWei-Chun Tai, Sin-Ting Wang, Chieh-Shan Wu, Tze-Yi Lin, Meng-Tse Wu
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 146–153
Background Neurofibroma consists of abundant extracellular matrix and many types of
cells, including Schwann cells (SCs), mast cells (MCs), fibroblasts and endothelial cells.
As SCs have been found to be the cell of origin for neurofibroma, how MCs may migrate
into the tumor has not been fully clarified. Given that chemokine receptor CCR3 is
found predominantly expressed by differentiated MCs, we postulated that CCR3 may
play a role in the homing of MCs to neurofibroma. The goal of this stu ..................More

Case Report

Coccidioidomycosis with cutaneous manifestation of erythema nodosum in TaiwanChien-Ming Chen, Hua-En Lee, Shu-Ying Li
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 154–158
Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease endemic to the southwestern USA, northern
Mexico, and focal areas in Central and South America, but it is rarely reported in
Taiwan. We report a case of coccidioidomycosis of probable pulmonary origin in a
young woman, who came back to Taiwan after a 10-month stay in the Central Valley of
California. Coccidioidomycosis was suspected by typical constellation of symptoms
and signs of Valley fever and subsequent desert rheumatism. The diagnosis was confir ..................More

Identification of Merkel cell polyomavirus in Merkel cell carcinoma tissue: case report of a Taiwanese patientWen-Tsao Ho, Jonathan Te Peng Tseng, Chung-Hong Hu, Wei-Hwa Lee, Tsung-Hsien Tsai
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 159–162
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare malignancy with aggressive behavior mostly
seen in the elderly and immunosuppressed patients. In 2008, the clonal integration of
a new human polyomavirus, named Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), was found to be
closely associated with the development of MCC. This correlation was established by
subsequent reports, mostly in Caucasians. To evaluate whether this correlation is also relevant
among the Taiwanese population, we used polymerase chain reaction ..................More

Allergic contact dermatitis induced by zinc pyrithione in shampoo: a case reportChih-Wei Hsieh, Mei-Eng Tu, Yu-Hung Wu
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 163–166
Shampoo-induced allergic contact dermatitis is difficult to diagnose clinically because
it can involve multiple and variable areas where the shampoo flows. Zinc pyrithione is a
common active agent in medicated shampoo that is known to have good anti-dandruff
and antifungal effects. Despite its low risk of sensitization, cases of allergic contact dermatitis
still occur because of the popularity of such products. We report a 33-year-old
man who developed pruritic rash on his scalp, face, neck ..................More

Bullous pemphigoid associated with acquired hemophiliaChing-Yin Chen, Ya-Hui Chen, Ji-Chen Ho, Chieh-Shan Wu
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 173–176
A 24-year-old man had bullous pemphigoid confirmed by
histopathology, direct immunofluorescence, and a salt-split
skin immunofluorescence examination in another hospital.
He was treated with prednisolone 15 mg per day and was
stable for 2 years. The patient was then admitted to our hospital
for simple fasciotomy of an extensive and painful intramuscular
hematoma over the right thigh with impending
compartment syndrome from a machine injury over the right
wrist and right thigh. Extensive ..................More

Resident Forum

A 25-year-old man with a dome-shaped translucent nodule on the glans penisYi-Shan Liu, Jyh-Seng Wang, Tzong-Shiun Li
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 177–178
A 25-year-old uncircumcised man presented with a 2-year history of an asymptomatic erythematous papule on the ventral
aspect of the penile shaft. The lesion had become a larger translucent nodule 3 days previously. The patient stated that he
recently had frequent and vigorous sexual activity with his steady partner. No additional genitourinary symptoms were mentioned.
On physical examination, a solitary 1.2-cm dome-shaped translucent and elastic nodule was observed on the ventral
shaft of th ..................More

Multiple cutaneous abscesses in a patient with Sjögren’s syndromeYi-Ting Lin, Cheng-Sheng Chiu, Tseng-tong Kuo
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 179–180
A 63-year-old woman presented with multiple tender, nonulcerating, erythematous nodules on her right hand and forearm
for 10 days (Figure 1A). She was suffering from Sjögren’s syndrome for more than 1 year and had been treated continually with
azathioprine and prednisolone. Under the tentative diagnosis of erythema nodosum, an incisional biopsy was performed
on her right forearm. Histopathology showed septolobular panniculitis, heavy infiltrates of neutrophils and granulomatous
inflam ..................More

A solitary nodule of the right cheek of a 25-year-old manHsin-Peng Lin, Tze-Yi Lin, Jen-Hung Yang
DERMATOLOGICA SINICA 28 (2010) 181–182
A 25-year-old man presented with a 1-year history of a small nodule on the right cheek. The nodule presented as an illdefined,
reddish lesion, with a diameter of 5 mm (Figure 1). The nodule was excised and subjected to pathological examination,
which revealed pleomorphic spindle and epithelioid cells infiltrating dermal collagen bundles. These cells showed
discernible downward maturation (Figure 2). Microscopic examination under a high-power field showed nuclear enlargement,
pleomorphism, an ..................More